If you’ve made it this far you know that I write a blog about life’s adventures mostly around running and cycling but occasionally around food, photography, and travel.

How did I get here and why do I write?

This blog has evolved from a means to communicate and involve friends, family, and supporters of my Journey of Hope in 2009 to an outlet and medium to write about life's adventures. I enjoy rambling and sharing our adventures like the time we tried paddleboarding or when I proposed in the middle of the Rock 'n' Roll USA marathon or just telling stories and giving race reports of runs and cycling events we have participated in.

Funny story. I actually earned my Bachelors of Science in mechanical engineering from Virginia Tech in the spring of 2010. Immediately after graduating, I packed up and moved to Fort Payne, AL for the first of three six-month-rotations in the Siemens Engineering Development Program. I knew that I wanted to teach eventually and prior to graduating from Virginia Tech I looked at various teaching programs that I could pursue while working as an engineer. After working for Siemens Energy for two years and ultimately accepting a full-time position in Charlotte, NC, the stars aligned and I was able to return to Virginia Tech to pursue a career in teaching on a full academic scholarship, the Robert Noyce Scholarship, through the National Science Foundation. The experience gained as an engineering in the energy industry will be invaluable in the classroom and while it was difficult to leave the friendships formed in Charlotte, I am reaffirmed daily that I was born to teach.

Have you always been a runner?While I wouldn't say I've always been a runner, I have always lived an active lifestyle playing team sports as a kid (soccer, roller and ice hockey, etc.) until I began running cross-country and track my sophomore year in high school. I took a break from running in college and picked up cycling as an escape from the demand of the engineering curriculum. I have now transitioned back to running as a primary sport and focus and supplement "days off" with the occasional grocery (or beer) ride.

What is your favorite distance and race style?My event participation is kinda all over the map, figuratively not literally, including short 5k's all the way up to 50k's. I hope to eventually complete, although currently a daunting thought, distances of 50 and (Check!) 100 miles (Double check!).

In terms of distance and style, I have really fallen in love with the marathon distance but as I've discussed, I have a love-hate relationship with running which goes double for the marathon distance. Compared to the half, a distance I feel comfortable just going out and running, the marathon requires more diligent and focused training which at times can feel monotonous. This is also why I love the marathon. It is more satisfying to complete and in some ways more prestigious (read: rewarding).So you can't run all the time, what do you do when you're not running?
Graduate school, running, and sporadically blogging keep me fairly busy but when I do find that I have extra time I enjoy cooking, reading, and photography.

Who's the we you always refer to in your posts?

The we is my now fiancé Michelle and I. We met during undergraduate at Virginia Tech in December of 2008 at a tacky-Christmas-Sweater party and the rest is history. Also, we have a little Hokie named Gillie.

There's a large section of your blog about the Journey of Hope, what is that all about?

During the summer of 2009 I took part in a life-changing event called the Journey of Hope, a cross-country cycling fundraiser from Seattle, WA to Washington, D.C. pedaling over 4,300 miles to raise awareness and funds for individuals with disabilities. I had a lot of people to thank for making that possible. I felt there was no better way to allow everyone who contributed to experience the team’s impact than through a blog. I wrote about my Journey of Hope including the organizations we worked with, individuals I met, and lives forever changed. While the ride is over, my Journey has only begun and this blog is about day-to-day life after the Journey of Hope.

So if you’re interested in my adventures give my blog a follow by subscribing through a reader or RSS feed via your Google account. Feel free to shoot me an email with any questions or if you're in the area and would like to go for a ride or run together!